Conflict Resolution/Mediation Process - Essay Example

Extract of sampleConflict Resolution/Mediation Process

Usually the initial meeting is followed by a face to face meeting between the two involved employees. They can listen to each other's side of the story. They are encouraged to use emotions in words such as "hurt", displeased, unsatisfied etc in order to convey the impact on other's behavior accurately.
The other technique is where employee and supervisor are involved. This is a difficult situation because one person is obviously in a position of power and hence it is important to immediately have HR involved. Involvement of HR can lead to more objective resolution.
Even though our firm has so far managed to avoid major conflicts, the problem with both techniques is that some people complain of favoritism. They feel that the supervisor or HR was biased and hence that particular action was taken. However I feel this can be avoided if the company used peer mediation technique which is successfully used in schools across United States.
Peer mediation works because it is a more natural way of resolving conflict. Remember in school when we had problems with another student, our friends would step in and make sure things were resolved or at least cleared. Peer mediation works in exactly the same manner and it works because those who are involved in resolution process are colleagues and not higher-ups.

Peer mediation is the technique "where students of the same age-group facilitate resolving disputes between two people or small groups. This process has proven effective in schools around the United States, changing the way students understand and resolve conflict in their lives. Changes include improved self-esteem, listening and critical thinking skills, and school climate for learning, as well as reduced disciplinary actions and less fights. These skills are transferable outside of the classroom."1

Before choosing the appropriate technique however, it is very important to consider some other critical factors such as what led to the conflict, why did it start in the first place. Secondly the relationship between the two parties must also be taken into account. It is also fair to look at the bigger picture and study the general behavior of the involved parties. This paves way for looking for a technique that befits the situations and can work well.

What I like about our organization is its fair use of HR services. Whenever a conflict arises, we are asked to present a written complaint to the HR department. This is a great way of a) having a person put down his thoughts and clear his head and b) bringing the conflict in HR's notice and thus having a documented proof of what happened.

Introducing HR to any conflict is almost always a welcome technique because HR is supposed to be objective and they are more interested in resolving the conflict than taking sides. It is the job of Human resource department to listen to the grievances of employees and solve their problems.
When resolving conflicts, it must also be borne in mind that many conflicts may arise due to diversity of workforce. As workforce becomes more and more diverse, the number of conflicts is also on the rise. This happens simply because people come from a variety of backgrounds and they may fail to comprehend each other. Misinterpretation is an imminent possibility in all situations and hence
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Summary

Conflict Resolution techniques are now common in almost every organization. Conflict resolution is defined as "the extent to which such disagreements are replaced by agreement and consensus" (Robey et al., 1989, p. 1174) It is hard to survive without having some concrete strategies to resolve conflicts that arise at work…

Related Essays

From the current dissertation, the bottom line states that non-addressed and unresolved conflicts can twirl to be destructive force. This is because the conflicts, when left unresolved, produce suspicion, dishonesty, defensiveness, conspiracy, and barriers. In fact, conflicts have both sides: constructive and pessimistic.

In spite of being dissimilar, the connected between the two seems extricable such that they appear to be two sides of a coin. All laws, which based on assessment of bias, use these two notions together. The laws that do not employ the two terms are the English Arbitration Act and the International Chamber of Commerce.

Mediation can be applicable in a number of situations since it shifts the perceptions of the disputants to the conflict and contributes to learning and growth. Unlike arbitration where a neutral third party will offer the disputants with decisions, mediators are not supposed to offer any suggestions on how to resolve the conflict.

Mediation is an alternative dispute resolution mechanism which aims at assisting the disputants to reach ban agreement without accepting any solution imposed by the disputants. The mediator retains control of the process but the parties retain control of the content to the mediation process.

Strasser and Randolph (2004, p.3) assert that “conflict is an intrinsic characteristic of the human species in every society, irrespective of geographic, ethnic or religious origin.” No matter how much man has made progress in understanding human behavior, yet he is unable to fully describe conflict and the process of reconciliation.

In organizations, large numbers of people congregate under one roof in a joint pursuit of purpose. The organization then sets itself up to harness the creativity of the people for maximum effectiveness. But, numbers alone do not ensure creativity. In fact, as the number of people increases, the propensity for conflict and disagreement likewise increase.

This dispute resolution process will be carried out peacefully and in a quiet place where each party will feel comfortable and secure. The secrecy of the parties involved will be guaranteed. Each person will have time to express their concerns amicably, look for a common ground that both of them can agree on; create a future resolution other than concentrating on the history.

They have the power to control the process such as allowing somebody to speak but they are also expected to allow the parties involve in shaping the content of the discussion. They are tasked to keep the discussion geared toward resolution instead of leading to a debate.

Every organization's desire remains to minimize any instances of conflict within the organization as a means of establishing a peaceful coexistence. Organizational conflict refers to the state of discord within an organization occurring because of actual or perceived opposition of needs, interests, and work within an organization.

3 pages (750 words)Essay

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